Is Sandy Leon the solution to Red Sox pitching woes?

The Boston Red Sox have the Sandy Leon option for pitching intervention.  Is Leon the answer to solve the pitching issues?

I am not ready to toss the Red Sox catchers into the ocean as some type of chum over the pitching staff collectively running their own home run derby contest. The hero for some rests in Pawtucket and that is Sandy Leon who has suddenly emerged as a defensive recreation of Roy Campanella or Ivan Rodriguez.

I take nothing away for Leon’s defensive capabilities since pitchers have long expressed admiration for his game-calling skills. If you are an advocate for CERA (Catchers Earned Run Average) then Leon is remarkably talented. Even with such recent statistical evidence as pitch framing, Leon’s 11.6 was sixth best in MLB for 2018. However, Christian Vazquez was seventh in 2017 (15.5).

You can delve into the deep statistics or the more traditional ones such as caught stealing, passed balls, and even catcher pickoffs and Leon is very good. But so is Vazquez. So is Leon the necessary ingredient? Is this setting the stage for a Doug Mirabelli like a return to Boston?

One item that surfaces immediately is if Leon was so ultra smooth defensively why did he get shipped out?  The Red Sox were willing to absorb his .171 average in 2018 so why not 2019? And following that trail of statistical crumbs, how come other teams were not salivating at the prospect of getting Leon? His salary is a shade under $2.5MM and certainly doable.

Let’s get a reality check on the pitching staff.  I most certainly subscribe to the fact that good arms do not necessarily have stable pitching minds. I could go all Bull Durham on this and the unforgettable Nuke LaLoosh, but pitchers seem to be more prone to a disruption in their routine and that means catching, morning routine, or any other idiocracies.

We have often heard the term a “Baseball Caddy” or “Personal Catcher” meaning that a certain pitcher seeks out one particular catcher. Another film reference that demonstrates this baseball quirk is Kevin Costner’s “For Love of the game” were Cosner’s Billy Chapel orders his manager to have his personal binky to catch him.

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The Red Sox staff is experienced from top to bottom especially the starting rotation that has suddenly become a pinata. That David Price, Rick Porcello, Chris Sale, etc. have now become mush over the absence of Leon?  If you believe that I’ll have to order a fresh supply of Brooklyn Bridges.

Leon is where he is because Blake Swihart is both cheaper and a far better offensive option. If Leon is the panacea for the epidemic of bad pitching then maybe “Doctor” Alex Cora will summon Leon pronto from his purgatory in Pawtucket, but that is just – at least to me – an assumption to dismiss.

The Red Sox staff will muddle along for the remainder of April with minimum changes since baseball is a game of patience. This is not the type of staff that collectively decides to roll over and show their belly.  Too experienced as certainly with an extensive track record of success.

Eventually, baseball players seek a point that is complementary to their career records and the pitchers will eventually do that. If not I will personally pick up Leon at Pawtucket and chauffeur him to Boston begging for forgiveness.